About Thelma J. Longworth

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Posts by Thelma J. Longworth :

TS to observe birth and death anniversary of freedom fighter Chakali Ilamma

Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao on Saturday announced that the state will celebrate the birth and death anniversaries of revolutionary freedom fighter Chakali Ilamma. She was one of the faces of the Telangana armed struggle movement and a symbol of Telangana, he said.

Chakali Ilamma, a Bahujan woman, was an Indian revolutionary leader during the Telangana rebellion. She is one of the many oppressed caste women who fought against the dominant caste owners or “doras” during the Nizam era in Telangana.

Ilamma was born in 1895 in Krishnapuram, Warangal district, and was the fourth child of Oruganti Mallamma and Soilu. She belonged to the Rajaka caste and was married to Chityala Narsaiah at the age of 11.

The couple had four sons and a daughter. His act of defiance against the zamindar Ramachandra Reddy, known as Visnoor Deshmukh, to cultivate his land became an inspiration to many during the rebellion against the feudal lords.

Ilamma fought against the anarchy of Deshmukh and Razakar in Visnur between 1940 and 1944. She joined the Andhra Mahasabha as well as the Indian Communist Party. She worked actively against the Nizam government and her house was the center of activities against the feudal landlords who collaborated with the Nizam. She died on September 10, 1985 in Palakurthi from an illness.


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Solidarity with revolutionaries in Syria

Bashar al-Assad attacks some of the last opponents of his regime (Pic: Wikicommons / kremlin.ru)

Socialists in Syria warn that the regime of leader Bashar al-Assad is trying to crush the last centers of revolutionary resistance.

The statement from the Revolutionary Left Current in Syria statement says: “The criminal regime is working to turn Daraa, the cradle of the revolution, into a cemetery. “

In March 2011, the secret police arrested a group of 15 students who had spray painted “The people want to bring down the regime” on a wall. It was the slogan of the Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions that the Syrians had seen on their television screens.

Al-Assad and his forces were terrified they would also be overthrown.

The students were tortured and their fingernails pulled out. The shock and anger over such barbarism helped spark a national uprising.

Destroy

Ten years after the start of the revolution, the government ruthlessly destroyed almost all the committees created by ordinary people to take over the management of their regions.

But, the statement said, “Despite the decline of the popular movement and its defeat in general, parts of the Daraa and Houran regions remained resistant to the forces of the regime and its allies as well as to other counterrevolutionary forces.”

It is a reference to how people had to fight the regime and its allies. In particular the Russian and Iranian forces, but also in certain places Isis and al-Qaeda.

The statement says, “The spirit of popular resistance and the goals of the popular revolution have remained alive and enduring.

“But the junta regime, built on the idea of ​​humiliating and crushing the people, could not tolerate the survival of this resistance.

“He believes that crushing it will crush the last hope of the Syrian people for their liberation, and thus complete their victory over the rebel masses.”

The regime took military control of the Daraa governorate province in 2018, but in some areas its hold is contested.

The latest challenge to the regime concerned those who refused to participate in the mock presidential elections in May this year.

How the Syrian revolution was lost
How the Syrian revolution was lost

Some 50,000 people in the Daraa al-Balad area were subjected to fierce bombardment. And defeating the resistance is not just about ending the hope of overthrowing al-Assad.

The statement said, “The end of popular resistance in Daraa is an economic need for the regime, Jordan and other countries. It is a necessity for the Zionist state [Israel], who prefers the regime to control its southern regions rather than control by a popular movement that is hostile to it.

“The regime has for decades been the best security guard of the Zionist state. “

At one point there were negotiations between the regime and the local committees of Daraa. But, “for months, the junta regime has violated all the agreements it has made with the resistance masses in Daraa, under Russian supervision.

“These days it’s tightening the noose around our people. It demands that they surrender completely or leave the Turkish occupation zones and the terrorist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham in Idlib.

“The forces of the left and of freedom in our country and in the world must stand in solidarity with our people in Daraa, who defend their land, their freedom and their dignity. “

There is now talk of an agreement between the regime and some of the committees of Daraa. This would allow the government to disarm people and search homes at will.

But the declaration of the Socialists ends without compromise.

“Greetings to our comrades of the steadfast revolutionary left movement in Daraa. A salute to the masses of our heroic resistance

“No to the displacement of our people from Daraa. No to the transformation of Daraa into a concentration camp. Freedom for the popular masses in Daraa and in all regions of our country. Long live international solidarity!


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Bharat Ratna GB Pant was not only great politicians, but also a staunch freedom fighter.

Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant GB Pant, who made a special place in the Ghagha Saheb of Uttar Pradesh and played a key role in its construction, was the first CM of the UP and the fourth Minister of the Interior of the country. Pant was not only a great politician, but also a dedicated freedom fighter. Today is the birthday of Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant. He was born on September 10, 1887 in the village of Khunt in the district of Almora. He was originally from Maharashtra. His mother’s name was Govindi Bai, Pant takes its name from her name.

Govind Ballabh Pant was raised in the house of his maternal grandfather Badridatta Joshi due to his father’s government work and his transfer every year. His grandfather had a great influence on his personality and his political opinions. Govind Ballabh Pant moved from Almora to Allahabad in 1905. He obtained a law degree from Allahabad University and began practicing in Kashipur. It was said that Pant used to take only the real cases and leave the case when someone was lying. He had also fought the case of Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaq Ullah Khan and other revolutionaries involved in the Kakori affair.

His essay is a reflection of Indian philosophy. He raised his pen for national unity. Pant Ji, the enlightened class guide, disseminated the humanitarian findings from all the forums. Pant Ji, a strong supporter of national consciousness, shared the suffering of the poor and worked tirelessly to eliminate economic inequalities. Pant Ji became the first Prime Minister of the United Provinces in 1937 and the first CM of Uttar Pradesh in 1946. On January 10, 1955, he took over from the Ministry of the Interior of India. On Republic Day in 1957, the great patriot, skilled administrator, successful orator, rational and liberal Pant Ji was awarded India’s highest title, “Bharat Ratna”.

Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant GB Pant, who made a special place in the Ghagha Saheb of Uttar Pradesh and played a key role in its construction, was the first CM of the UP and the fourth Minister of the Interior of the country. Pant was not only a great politician, but also a dedicated freedom fighter. Today is the birthday of Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant. He was born on September 10, 1887 in the village of Khunt in the district of Almora. He was originally from Maharashtra. His mother’s name was Govindi Bai, Pant takes its name from her name.

Govind Ballabh Pant was raised in the house of his maternal grandfather Badridatta Joshi due to his father’s government work and his transfer every year. His grandfather had a great influence on his personality and his political opinions. Govind Ballabh Pant moved from Almora to Allahabad in 1905. He obtained a law degree from Allahabad University and began practicing in Kashipur. It has been said that Pant used to only take real cases and leave the case when someone was lying. He had also fought the case of Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaq Ullah Khan and other revolutionaries involved in the Kakori affair.

His essay is a reflection of Indian philosophy. He raised his pen for national unity. Pant Ji, the enlightened class guide, disseminated the humanitarian findings from all the forums. Pant Ji, a strong supporter of national consciousness, shared the suffering of the poor and worked tirelessly to eliminate economic inequalities. Pant Ji became the first Prime Minister of the United Provinces in 1937 and the first CM of Uttar Pradesh in 1946. On January 10, 1955, he took over the leadership of the Indian Ministry of the Interior. On Republic Day in 1957, the great patriot, skilled administrator, successful orator, rational and liberal Pant Ji was awarded India’s highest title, “Bharat Ratna”.


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Umaji Naik became a great freedom fighter after hearing the stories of Shivaji Maharaj

Umaji Naik, the great revolutionary who raised his voice against the British government in the struggle for India’s freedom, was born on this day. Umaji Naik was a great revolutionary from Maharashtra and he had pitted his nose in the noses of the British for 16 years. Let me tell you all that Krantiveer Umaji Naik was born on September 7, 1791 in the village of Bhiwandi in the district of Pune. His childhood was spent in the premises of Fort Purandar and he learned sword handling, horseback riding, spear handling, dandapatta, etc.

Umaji’s mother told him the stories of Shivaji Maharaj and the story of Shivaji Maharaj aroused a sense of revolution in his mind. After that he learned all the arts very quickly and dreamed of driving the British government out of India. Let us tell you that the ideal of Umaji Naik was Shivaji Maharaj and he declared a revolt against the British government by giving Bhandara to Khandobarai of Jejuri with revolutionaries like Vithuji Naik, Krishna Naik, Khushaba Ramoshi.

Not only that, Umaji Naik plundered the British and began to serve the poor. However, Umaji naik was hanged on February 3, 1832 in Kacheri, a case of Khatkamal Ali in Pune. It is said that the British kept Umaji Naik’s body hanging from a tree because it was supposed to cause panic in the minds of revolutionaries. Umaji Naik had raised his voice against the British government and wanted no revolutionary rebel to see the fate of Umaji Naik.

63-year-old Mr. Suresh Mansharamani mentoring people and transforming their lives through his OKR strategies and his Tajurba networking platform

Award-winning teachers create a ruckus on Teachers’ Day in Guwahati

Israeli army to force cordon on Palestinian land during Jewish holidays


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India’s oldest Ganeshotsav was created by a freedom fighter in 1892

The alleyways and narrow labyrinth-like streets of Pune hide millions of stories lost in the annals of history, and the iconic Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Ganpati Trust, located in a heritage wada, is one such story that deserves to be told.

Tucked away in a quiet corner behind the mighty Shaniwar Wada is a historic wonder symbolic of India’s bitter struggle for independence. This 129-year-old wada, who breathes with silent dignity most of the year, comes alive in all colors during the Ganeshotsav festivities. He is said to be the oldest and a pioneer in establishing the Ganesh festival as a symbol of national pride and harmony, against the backdrop of the struggle for freedom.

The Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Ganpati Trust is actually the first public Sarvajanik or Ganeshotsav launched in 1892 by a freedom fighter named Bhausaheb Laxman Javale, aka Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari.

Building a national symbol of unity

Source: The 129-year-old wada (L); The unique idol of Ganesha from Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Trust (R)

Ganesh Chaturthi in its present form was introduced in 1892, when a resident of Pune named Krishnajipant Khasgiwale visited Gwalior, led by the Maratha, where he attended the traditional public celebration and brought it to the attention of his friends, Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari and Balasaheb Natu back home in Pune.

Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari, who was also a famous royal physician and freedom fighter, saw the potential of this festival and installed the first “sarvajanik” or public idol of Ganesha in his house or “wada” located in an area called Shalukar Bol.

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He then installed a unique idol of Ganesha which represented the deity killing a demon. Made of wood and sound, the imagery was a far cry from Lord Ganesh’s usual calm and composed demeanor, as it symbolized the victory of good over evil. The Ganesha represented India as a nation fighting for its freedom against the colonialists.

This decision by Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari quickly gained ground when freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak praised his efforts in an article in the iconic Kesari newspaper on September 26, 1893. Tilak even went ahead to install an idol of Ganesha in the Information Publishing Office in 1894 as a symbol of national pride and unity.

Thanks to Rangari and Tilak, Ganeshotsav eventually became a national festival where people from all castes and communities came together to celebrate their national identity through intellectual speeches, concerts, folk dances and music, plays. , poetry recitals, etc.

The Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Ganpati Trust continues to worship the same 129-year-old idol to this day.

A refuge like a fort

Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari, besides being a doctor, was famous throughout the country for his many skills. He was involved in the knitting and dyeing of fabrics which were traditionally done by his community.

This work also earned him the nickname “Rangari”.

But his “wada” housed more than decades of colorful traditions or life-saving medicines. It was a refuge and meeting place for revolutionaries to discuss strategies against the British Indian government.

For a traditional structure, it was ahead of its time in terms of design, with unique locks and latches that ensured the secrecy and safety of the freedom fighters hiding there. The unusual lock allowed authorized people to open doors through a small hidden grove, even when locked from the inside.

Plus, it also had a central locking system that allowed three of its main doors to lock instantly using tiny pulleys attached to it, in the event of an emergency. With hidden chambers to hide weapons and a secret escape route leading to the riverbed, this wada served as a fort in disguise against Imperial forces.

Whether it was the fierce idol of Ganesha, the festival, or the “wada” that housed him and protected hundreds of revolutionaries, Bhausaheb Rangari’s immense contribution to India’s freedom struggle is perhaps -be less known, but will never be forgotten.

The location of the historic building in the old town of Pune continues to remind us of the exemplary work of these freedom fighters.

While Tilak’s vision was to popularize Ganesh Chaturthi as a national festival that could bridge the divide between caste and status and instill a nationalist fervor to oppose colonial rule; it was Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari who was the first to light this fire of change.

The selected image: Bhausaheb Laxman Javale, aka Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari (L); The iconic idol of Ganesha (R)

Edited by Yoshita Rao


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Texas women just lost jurisdiction over their bodies with abortion ban

Think of Texas and one of the first things that comes to mind is its unique shape – those iconic curves that we stamp, mark and model on anything we can think of, from tortilla chips and cutting boards to the extravagant hotel pools.

You can add one more to the list you’ll never find among the kitsch at Buc-ee’s: a Texas-shaped hanger.

The connotation of the image widely shared on social media is frightening, and its symbolism is not lost on anyone who lived, or at least read, a time when women did not have access to a safe and legal abortion. , etc. were forced to search for alternatives via pill bottles, alleyways, Mexican border towns and yes, crudely improvised DIY devices.

It’s a world that many women in Texas are fortunate enough to never have experienced until now.

The Texas legislature effectively banned abortion in Texas, which takes us back to 1973 before the landmark Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade does not legalize the procedure nationwide. The law affects abortions after 6 weeks, when an embryo is about the size of a lens. A heartbeat can be detected although many women do not yet know they are pregnant. There are no exceptions in the law for victims of rape or incest.

Supporters of the law are celebrating their success, claiming they have rid Texas of the “ravages of abortion,” as Governor Greg Abbott put it in a tweet. Other activists use the word “violent” to describe a medical procedure that 88% of the time is done in the first trimester, and about 40% of the time is not really a procedure but a set of pills. Women often describe an early abortion as a busy period.

“Texas will always stand up for the right to life,” Gov. Greg Abbott trumpeted on Twitter after the law came into force this week.

Always? Tell that to the women who still die in childbirth in Texas. Tell the children that we let die and are abused in foster care. Tell the 1.4 million Texans who don’t have health insurance because lawmakers refuse to expand Medicaid.

Texas consistently ranks among the bottom when it comes to child welfare. Lawmakers have just passed a law allowing people to carry handguns without any training or permits. As the deadly and highly contagious delta variant increases in our state, the governor refuses to protect Texans with a simple mask requirement and is actively blocking local governments that attempt to do so, including public school officials who are responsible for the safety of millions of children.

Texas rulers won’t force anyone to wear a harmless mask, but will they force a woman to carry the offspring of a man who rapes her? Such cases are rare, but even a single one is an unreasonably cruel warrant.

How come Texas offers more protection for an unborn embryo than an 8-year-old who is at risk of COVID infection every day he is forced to go to school with non-classmates masked?

This is the most cynical calculation for Abbott and Republican lawmakers: They are willing to risk the life of a child in the name of individual freedom, but they have no problem trampling on a woman’s individual freedom. protect an embryo no bigger than a grain of rice.

It has been a long day to come – and a long time to fight.

For years, anti-abortion activists in the Texas legislature have tried to erode women’s access to the procedure with every clever strategy they could think of: forcing women to undergo vaginal ultrasounds, demanding l burial of fetal remains, cluttering clinics with stringent regulations across the width of clinic corridors. State Senator Wendy Davis rejected a bill banning abortion after 20 weeks, but attacks on women’s rights continued as Republicans took firm control of the Texas House and Senate.

This time, they went above and beyond and unraveled the shreds of abortion wards that the women of Texas had left behind. The six-week abortion ban is accompanied by such a Machiavellian method of execution that it would make Vladimir Putin proud.

The law essentially allows ordinary citizens to spy on and denounce their fellow citizens if they have reason to believe the person is guilty of “aiding and abetting” an abortion in Texas. This means everyone from the doctor who performs the abortion to the person who brought the patient to the clinic. The law allows gossipers – some call them bounty hunters – to prosecute alleged violators and earn up to $ 10,000 in damages. Even if they are wrong in their claims, they are legally protected from the claims of defamation.

Despite the dubious legal grounds for these lawsuits – typically a person bringing a lawsuit in Texas must have been directly wronged – the mere existence of the law is enough to intimidate many abortion providers and supporters for they are closing their operations this week.

Unlike other blatantly unconstitutional anti-abortion provisions passed by Texas lawmakers, lawyers don’t know who to prosecute to fight the law because it is technically not enforced by Texas authorities.

The fact that the United States Supreme Court allowed the law to come into force – minus the votes of Chief Justice John Roberts and the Liberals who were dissenting – is a disturbing harbinger of what will happen when the court will address the deeper question of the constitutionality of the law.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pledges to prioritize some type of federal remedy, but the chances of it being passed by both chambers are unclear.

The only thing clear today is that in the state of Texas, land of personal freedom, women have lost jurisdiction over our bodies. Those in need of abortions, many of whom are mothers caring for other children, will have to leave the state to undergo the procedure. The hardest hit will be low-income women who do not have the money to travel, and some, with no other option, may resort to dangerous methods to terminate pregnancies.

This is the world we read in books, never imagining that it would reappear as our reality. Barring a federal recourse, the only option for Texans who support a woman’s right to choose is to fight for an alternate reality. Get angry, get organized, go to the polls.


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Jallianwala Bagh has inspired countless revolutionaries: PM | Latest India News

New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually unveiled the renovated Jallianwala Bagh memorial complex in Amritsar on Saturday, saying it will inspire generations to learn more about the history of the “holy place.”

Addressing the nation, the Prime Minister, referring to the massacre at Jallianwala Bagh, reiterated that “it is not fair for a country to ignore such horrors from its past”, and, therefore, a- he said, India has decided to observe August 14 each year as the horrors of partition. Remembrance Day.

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place on April 13, 1919, when colonial troops opened fire on a crowd of thousands of unarmed Indians who had gathered there to mark the occasion of Baisakhi.

“Jallianwala Bagh is the place that inspired countless revolutionaries and fighters like Sardar Udham Singh, Sardar Bhagat Singh to die for the freedom of India. These 10 minutes of April 13, 1919 have become the immortal story of our struggle for freedom, thanks to which today we can celebrate the Amrit Mahotsav of freedom. On such an occasion, the dedication of the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial in its modern version on the occasion of the 75th year of independence is an opportunity of great inspiration for all of us ”, declared the Prime Minister.

Calling this the ‘responsibility’ of each nation to preserve its history, Modi, who is also the chairman of the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial Trust, said, “Therefore, India has decided to observe August 14 each year as” Day of remembrance of the horrors of the score ”. India witnessed horrors like Jallianwala Bagh during the partition of the country. The people of the Punjab were the biggest victims of the partition. We still feel the pain of what happened at the time of the partition in all corners of India and especially in the families of Punjab, ”he said.

During his 20-minute address, the Prime Minister also referred to India’s efforts to evacuate its citizens from crisis-stricken Afghanistan and said current global conditions underscore the importance of ” Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat ”and reinforce the need for“ Atma-Nirbharta and Aatmvishwas ”.

“If Indians are in trouble anywhere in the world, then India is standing up to help them with all her might. Whether it is the corona period or the Afghan crisis, the world has lived it all the time … Hundreds of Afghan friends are brought to India as part of Operation Devi Shakti. Because of ‘Guru Kripa’ the government could bring holy guru Granth Sahib’s ‘swaroop’ with people to India (from Afghanistan), ”Modi said.

The Prime Minister also referred to the celebrations underway across the country under the banner of “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsava” to mark the 75 years of its independence. The government is organizing a series of events and activities dedicated to freedom fighters, especially “unsung heroes,” events and historic places, across the country as part of this celebration.

“Efforts are being made to preserve and highlight places associated with milestones in the freedom struggle and national heroes. Like Jallianwala Bagh, national monuments are being renovated across the country such as the interactive gallery at the Allahabad museum, the Biplobi Bharat gallery in Kolkata, etc. The contributions of Azad Hind Fauz (INA) were highlighted by giving a new identity to the place. in Andaman where Netaji first unfurled the national flag. The names of the Andaman Islands were dedicated to the struggle for freedom, ”said the Prime Minister.

Modi expressed disappointment that freedom fighters from tribal communities did not have their rightful place in the history books. “Our tribal community has contributed greatly and made great sacrifices for freedom. Their contribution didn’t have as much of a place in the history books as it should have. Work is currently underway on museums showing tribal freedom fighters and their struggle in nine states across the country, ”Modi said.

He also said that efforts were being made to “preserve” the rich heritage of the Punjab. Happily auspicious occasions like the 550th Prakashotsava of Guru Nanak Dev ji, the 350th Prakashotsava of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the 400th Prakashotsava of Guru Teg Bahadur Ji have taken place over the past seven years and the central government has tried to disseminate the teachings of the gurus through these holy occasions, ”the Prime Minister said.

The event also brought together several ministers and dignitaries, including the Chief Minister of the Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh, who urged the Prime Minister to ask the UK to return the personal effects of freedom fighter Udham Singh, including including his pistol and his newspaper.


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Afghan and Kurdish revolutionary women call for global resistance

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Following Donald Trump’s 2020 misogynistic sales deal with the equally misogynistic Taliban, the great powers have helped restore fundamentalist rule in Afghanistan. This agreement included a Taliban guarantee to ensure that no group or individual violates the security of the United States or its allies in Afghanistan. However, the bombing of Kabul airport by IS-Khorasan (IS-K), which tragically left at least 169 dead and many more injured, ended this provision. It was the last humiliation for the retreating United States and its allies.

But the revolutionary Afghan women went out to fight. And they call for international solidarity and resistance against the Taliban and the IS-K. And their Kurdish sisters, with their vast experience in the fight against Daesh (ISIS / ISIL) and its Turkish backers, made a similar appeal.

Challenge

In a statement released on August 20, the Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) – first founded in 1977 – said that:

Women will no longer be chained! Just the next morning after the Taliban entered the capital, a group of our brave young women painted graffiti on the walls of Kabul with the slogan: Down with the Taliban! Our women are now politically conscious and no longer want to live under the burqa, which they easily did 20 years ago. We will continue our struggles while finding smart ways to stay safe.

Two days earlier, the general command of the YPJ (Kurdish Women’s Protection Units) also issued a statement saying:

Just as we, the YPJ, have resisted ISIS and the Turkish occupiers and their gangs with the organized force of women, strengthened and increased our army, Afghan women can also become a force for freedom with their strength and strength. organization.

Kurdish women call for solidarity

On August 16, Komalên Jinên Kurdistan (KJK) – a confederation of women’s organizations – issued a statement of solidarity with Afghan women. Referring to Turkey’s war on the Kurds, the KJK commented that the United States and its allies simply cannot be trusted:

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Those who delivered Afghanistan to the Taliban today and those who yesterday occupied Afrin, Serêkaniyê, Girê Spî to the Turkish Republic are the same powers. Those who gave the green light to the Turkish invasion of Rojava and northeastern Syria yesterday, are repeating the same scenario today in Afghanistan.

This was proven once again when American forces Pull civilians killed as a result of a bomb explosion at Kabul airport.

KJK’s statement also referred to the Turkish invasion of Afrin, largely populated by Kurds:

Much like in Afrin, where the YPJs, which inspire women around the world, were founded, and where today women are enslaved and murdered due to the policies of global hegemonic powers, Afghan women also face the same threatens. now.

He concluded:

We call on all women, especially women in the Middle East, to stand in solidarity with our sisters in Afghanistan, to make their voices heard and to stand up for their lives, their achievements and their dreams.

Leading the resistance

In October 2001, RAWA declared that:

The continued US attacks and the rising toll of innocent civilian casualties not only provides an excuse for the Taliban, but will also empower fundamentalist forces in the region and even around the world.

Tragically, twenty years later, this prediction has proven to be correct.

Additionally, in March of this year, RAWA made it clear what exactly would happen as a result of the 2020 Trump-Taliban deal. He said:

Today, it is up to our people, especially our women, to stand up against the betrayal of the United States through a nationwide uprising to combat Pakistani, Taliban and ISIS mercenaries.

RAWA also spoke of how their Kurdish sisters from Kobane (Rojava) “rubbed ISIS’s muzzle on the ground”. Referring to the funding and arming of Pakistan’s Taliban, RAWA added:

If we stand up fearlessly, with determination and resilience, we can push the ISI-created Taliban into the folds of their Pakistani godfathers.

RAWA further stated that it is women who must now “lead the resistance against the Taliban and co.”

Armed resistance

Earlier in August, a commentator tweeted how Afghanistan needs armed resistance via the equivalent of the YPG (Kurdish People’s Protection Units) and YPJs and the largely Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces:

The YPJs are feminists who practice democratic confederalism. It is a form of direct democracy based on the ideas of the American anarchist Murray Bookchin. According to Kongreya Star, democratic confederalism is:

a system based on a network of small municipalities and local assemblies in which people come together to self-organize their neighborhoods and towns and to decide their collective needs and concerns. This system is not based on the nation-state paradigm with its centralized, state-organized democracy, but rather is a form of direct, bottom-up democracy.

It was the YPG / YPJ and their allies that defeated Daesh in its de facto Syrian capital, Raqqa. But Joe Biden, then US vice president, warned the Kurdish militias to back down on their advances. Biden said they “shouldn’t expand west of the Euphrates … if they do, they’ll never get US support again.”

Biden’s threat was to support NATO-member Turkey, which seized Kurdish-populated territory in northern Syria. Turkey is now bombing raid hospitals in Rojava and Sinjar province, mainly populated by Yazidis. As for the authoritarian Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, he affirms that the recent statements of the Taliban are “moderate”.

Kurdish women-RAWA links

Meanwhile, the link between Kurdish women and Afghan women’s struggles for freedom was further emphasized:

In a September 2019 interview, activist Samia Walid also spoke of the link between the Kurdish struggle against Daesh and that of Afghan women:

The struggle and the sacrifices of the lionesses of Kurdistan were for us an inspiration and a source of strength. Their struggle against ISIS and other medieval criminals has taught us enormous lessons.

Walid added:

RAWA considers that international solidarity with independentist, freedom-fighting, democratic and progressive organizations and parties is an essential element of our internal struggle. Our struggle converges with the struggle of the Kurdish people because most of our enemies are of a similar nature.

reality of the taliban

Walid also explained how RAWA’s political activities include:

publish our magazines and articles, and mobilize women to become aware and join our struggle. We collect and document the killings, rapes, looting, extortion and other crimes of these warlords in remote areas of Afghanistan. Our social activities provide education for women (not just literacy classes but social and political awareness of their rights and how to realize them), emergency aid, orphanage establishment and related activities. to health.

Most recently, RAWA issued 29 bans the Taliban could impose on women in Afghanistan. These range from banning women from working outside the home to banning women from studying at school or university or other educational institutions.

In addition, the Taliban have organized an “Orwellian Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice,” which is:

responsible for controlling the small details of people’s daily life like beard length, dress code and having a Mahram (male companion, only father, brother or husband) for a woman.

Rise up!

RAWA is now calling for a “democratic front” to rise up and resist the Taliban:

Today, as we call for the constitution of a democratic front against the Taliban, we call on all democratic, secular, anti-fundamentalist and anti-occupation forces, all our tormented women, girls and men, to say that nothing will not come out of mourning. Let us stand up and resist the Taliban and their partners, in any way and at any level, and give them a taste of defeat and sorrow.

The United States and its allies have abandoned Afghan civilians to the mercy of the Taliban. Therefore, resistance inside the country will necessarily be strictly clandestine.

And the revolutionary women of Afghanistan will need all the support they can get.

Featured image via Flickr / Kurdishstruggle

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Global silence on Indian state terrorism in doomed IIOJK – Kashmir Media Service

Islamabad, Aug 28 (KMS): Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement (JKPM), Jammu and Kashmir Pir Panjal Freedom Movement (JKPPFM) and Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Association (JKPA) have said India is committing the worst kind of terrorism in India. State in India. Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and the silence of the world community on this is condemnable.

JKPM Vice President Abdul Majeed Malik, JKPPFM Vice President Qazi Imran and JKPA official Khalid Shabbir said in a joint statement released in Islamabad that India wants to change the demographics of India. IIOJK but that the inhabitants of the territory would resist him tooth and nail.

They said India planned to ban pro-freedom organizations in the occupied territory and wanted to suppress all voices for freedom from Kashmir, but would never succeed in its sinister designs. .

They called on international judicial institutions, including the United Nations, to take note of Indian state terrorism in the occupied territory and play their part in the release of all illegally detained Hurriyat leaders and activists who are languishing in various prisons in India and territory.


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It’s time to free black revolutionaries from American prisons | Akin Olla

WWhile the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement has raised the profile of holidays like Juneteenth and Black History Month, there is a significant black celebration that remains on the fringes of American popular consciousness. Black August is a month-long commemoration dedicated to freedom fighters lost in the struggle for the liberation of black people, especially those who were killed by American authorities or who perished behind bars.

Black August celebrants regard the crimes committed by some of these revolutionaries as acts of war against a system already at war with them. With the release of films like Shaka King’s biopic of murdered Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton and data showing that large numbers of Americans now view individual acts of police violence as part of a more racist system broad, the politics and culture behind Black August are becoming more and more mainstream. If the new generations of Americans can understand the war that has been waged against black radicals, and against black Americans as a whole, they should honor Black August by demanding the release of radicals still imprisoned in a racist system.

Black radicals within the California prison system created Black August in 1979. Although it partially commemorates events like Nat Turner’s 1831 rebellion against slavery and the start of the Haitian Revolution, it primarily honors the legacy of black freedom fighters who were imprisoned or killed in the 20th century while working for the revolution in the United States.

On August 1, 1978, Jeffrey Khatari Gaulden, a black radical imprisoned since 1967 for assault with a deadly weapon, was seriously injured during a football match at San Quentin State Prison. Prison staff failed to provide emergency care quickly enough, and Gaulden died in what witnesses considered preventable death. His death was the immediate impetus for the creation of Black August, but the tradition was also created to celebrate other black radicals of the 1970s such as the Jackson brothers.

Jackson’s older brother, George Jackson, was a Marxist-Leninist theorist and organizer who was killed by guards while leading a prison uprising. Young Jackson, Jonathan Jackson, was shot dead while attempting to kidnap a judge and prosecutor from a California courthouse. Other revolutionaries that Black August sought to honor included WL Nolen, a comrade of George Jackson who was killed by guards after being caught in a prison brawl between black leftists and neo-Nazis. Two other black men were also shot dead in the same incident.

Mama Ayanna Mashama, founding member of the Black August organizing committee, explained how participants observed the first Black August:

… The brothers did not listen to the radio or watch television, moreover, they did not eat or drink anything from sunrise to sunset; and boisterous and boisterous behavior was not allowed …

Today, the tradition – spread by one of Mashama’s other organizations, the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement – is celebrated inside and outside prisons. Observers engage in reflection, political education, physical exercise, and other ways to sharpen their bodies and minds to honor the work of those who came before them. But Black August is also an opportunity to intensify the struggle for the release of detainees whom many activists and organizers consider to be political prisoners.

Mumia Abu Jamal, often referred to simply as Mumia, is one of America’s best-known black political prisoners, but far from the last still behind bars. Mumia is a journalist and former Black Panther convicted of the 1981 murder of a Philadelphia policeman. The evidence and testimony against him has long been disputed, and an international movement has grown in his defense. The movement has challenged his original death sentence and continues to fight for the end of his current life sentence. Many organizations, such as the Coalition for the Abolition of Death by Incarceration, regard the life sentences of Mumia and other imprisoned radicals as long, prolonged and deliberately cruel de facto death sentences.

Russell “Maroon” Shoatz, another former Black Panther, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1972 after being convicted of murdering a police officer. He spent 22 years of his imprisonment in solitary confinement, sitting in a small cell for 23 hours a day, with lights shining above him at all times.

A third former Panther, Albert Woodfox, was released in 2016 from a Louisiana prison after spending 43 years in solitary confinement. While these sentences may seem fair for the alleged crimes, trying them without thinking about the context in which the prisoners were held would do reality itself a disservice.

It is easy for Americans to understand and support black revolutionaries in other contexts, whether foreign or cinematic. Nelson Mandela, for example, is revered by many Americans. Yet Mandela was hardly different from his American counterparts. He co-founded uMkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), an armed group that engaged in bombing campaigns and targeted attacks across South Africa, killing dozens of police, soldiers and civilians in the process. Despite the efforts of the U.S. government, which has attempted to prop up South Africa’s apartheid government for much of its history, most Americans now understand that the regime was indefensibly based on segregation and violence. racial.

How difficult is it to understand the same thing for the United States for most if not all of the 20th century? George Jackson witnessed the murder of his friend by prison guards for the crime of fighting white supremacists. Mumia had long been the target of the Philadelphia Police Department for her reporting on Move, a left-wing black organization with a complex in the city. A few years after Mumia’s arrest, Philadelphia police dropped explosives on the move, killing 11 people, including five children. The Black Panther Party was harassed, infiltrated and attacked, and law enforcement officers murdered one of the Panthers’ early leaders, 19-year-old Fred Hampton, as he slept in his bed.

These imprisoned rulers were striving to build a better society for their people at a time when their friends and compatriots were being murdered in their homes. And it is inhumane to let former radicals who are now elderly and sick die behind bars so many decades after being initially convicted.

Yet this is not a problem only for black seniors; a new generation of black political prisoners, like Joshua Williams, are languishing in prison cells for the crime of engaging in resistance against the modern state of mass incarceration and police violence, a system that has enabled police to evade responsibility for the murder of 12 years. old Tamir Rice in a park and Aiyana Stanley-Jones, seven, as she slept in bed. Williams, arrested at 18, received eight years in prison for setting fire in and around a convenience store as he protested the death of Antonio Martin, an 18-year-old black gunman killed by a Missouri police officer a few months after Williams protested the murder of Mike Brown by another Missouri police officer.

In the same way that mainstream America tended to embrace black art while rejecting black people, mainstream American culture belatedly adopted the iconography and achievements of black radicals while letting them die. As Levi’s celebrates Black Power with a line of denim jackets, Democrats emulate a style popularized by black radicals, and Beyoncé’s Black Panthers-themed Super Bowl lingers in the public imagination, we have to face it. the truth.

Black radicals have helped clarify the reality of the systemic and direct violence of the American state, and for that clarity the nation owes such figures as Soundiata Acoli, Joseph Brown, Veronza Bowers, Mutulu Shakur, Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin , Ed Poindexter, Fred Burton and many others their freedom.


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